Pinup girl tattoos are some of the oldest images used to represent how women are constantly in men’s thoughts.
Sailors and armed servicemen during WWII and the Korean War used tattoo images of the early film stars of Hollywood to show how much they thought of women while away from home.
Pinup girl tattoos were crucial to the great tattooists of the mid 20th century, such as Lyle Tuttle and Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins.
Aitken Smith wrote in his excellent Tattoo Dictionary, “usually simple and two dimensional… they managed to convey all the sexual allure of the women they portrayed.”
While there are still plenty of traditional pinup girl tattoos, contemporary versions are popular with men and women and increasingly depict the beauty and strength of the female form.
Check out these top 51 best pinup girl tattoo ideas and use them for inspiration.
1. Air Force Pinup Girl Tattoos
2. Tattoo Ideas for the Arm
3. Bandana Pinup Girl Tattoos
4. Harley Quinn Tattoo Designs
5. Tattoos for the Leg
6. Mechanic Pinup Girl Tattoos
7. Navy Pinup Girl Tattoos
8. Realistic Tattoo Art
9. Sailor Jerry Tattoo Ideas
10. Traditional Pinup Girl Tattoos
What do pinup girl tattoos symbolize?
Pinup girl tattoos are some of the oldest images used to represent the place of women in men’s thoughts while far from home.
Some thought of the pinups like mermaids; protective symbols to help them through the most dangerous period of their lives, while others used them as physical bookmarks for the loves left behind at home.
Why were so many pinup girls military tattoos?
Firstly, it was often easier for artists to create depictions of famous movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth.
Sailors and armed servicemen – always near deadly consequences during dangerous sea travel or WWII- used images of the early film stars of Hollywood to display their love for women and how much they thought of them.
Another reason was that during times of war, the US military would send famous beauties to perform for the troops in order to boost morale, which often led to these meetings being memorialized in ink.
Are modern pinup girl tattoos different symbolically?
In more contemporary design, pinup girl tattoos are popular with both men and women and are increasingly used to depict the beauty and strength of the female form while still having a sexual element.
Gone are the traditional Hollywood beauties such as Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis, replaced by strong, independent, and famous women from music, sports, and even politics.
There’s also a different element of sexual independence and power, and the talents of the artists make them much more elaborate than historically so people can get realistic images of their significant other.
Are people still getting Sailor Jerry pinup girl tattoos?
Pinup girl tattoos were crucial to the great tattooists of the mid 20th century, such as Lyle Tuttle and Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins.
Collins, the “godfather of modern tattooing,” made famous pinup designs of pretty girls in bikinis and hula girls (he lived and worked in Honolulu), which are still found in flash books and on the walls of tattoo shops worldwide.
Where should I place my pinup girl tattoo?
Pinup girl tattoo art – while becoming more modern in form and meaning – is still a traditional style of body art, so placement tends to focus on areas such as the bicep, inner forearm, thigh, and lower leg.